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The EcoHides™ method has reduced our V.O.C. emission to nearly zero while the AQM is above-standards.

EcoHides™ is not just a product for owner Imasdounian but a way of life at home and in his business. Danfield, Inc. is making its plant environmentally friendly by: reducing the plant's energy use; converting to efficient light bulbs and adding skylights; recycling thirty percent of the water used to treat the hides; using compact, single line machinery with a digitally controlled system that produces minimum waste; vacuuming and compressing for safe disposal all airborne dust and by-products; and recycling all office waste including paper and ink cartridges. Imasdounian has future plans to implement solar and steam energy to be more efficient and reduce Danfield's carbon footprint.

About Danfield, Inc. and EcoHides™: Headquartered in Southern California, Danfield, Inc., is one of a few tanneries based in the nation and the only one operating in the western United States. The company has a 60,000 square-foot facility with precision, state of the art Italian machinery. Danfield, Inc. offers standard colors in stock and custom colors, plus finishes with minimum lead times.

Danfield Inc.'s commitment to produce a product in complete harmony and respect for Mother Nature and its natural eco-systems has resulted in EcoHides™, an earth-friendly alternative to high quality leather. EcoHides™ is produced locally in Los Angeles and distributed throughout the United States.

By HALI BERNSTEIN SAYLOR
FURNITURE & DESIGN EDITOR

Vahe Imasdounian is a third-generation leather tanner who cares about environment. Now, he
has created a process that is as Earth-friendly as he is.
His EcoHides are 100 percent leather and 100 percent green. They debuted at the recent HD
Expo in Las Vegas.
"If everyone did their small part we can make a difference in deterring global warming --
EcoHides is our contribution. Think globally and act locally is not just a catchy line for us, it's a
commitment. That is why we've created a new product line conscious of how we affect the
environment," said Imasdounian.
The owner of Danfield Inc., the only finishing plant west of Wisconsin, said he was inspired to
create the natural, eco-friendly process by his California lifestyle that respects Earth's resources.
Instead of traditional tanning methods, which incorporate chrome and other metal-heavy
chemicals, Imasdounian has developed a process that uses a proprietary blend of extracts from
farm-bred Mimosa trees to treat the leather. He said it took about a year and a half to develop
the process.
Additionally, for every tree that is cut down, the company replaces it with a young sapling.
Despite the differences in how the leather is treated, Imasdounian said the eco-friendly method
doesn't lengthen the overall time it takes to transform the raw material into something beautiful
and usable by very much.
Not only are Imasdounian and Danfield changing the way leather is treated at the finishing plant
in Commerce, Calif., the facility itself is becoming more environment friendly. To reduce the
plant's energy use, it has converted to efficient light bulbs and added skylights. Other efforts
include recycling 30 percent of the water used to treat the hides; using compact, single-line
machinery with a digitally controlled system that produces minimum waste; vacuuming and
compressing all airborne dust and by-products for safe disposal; and recycling all office waste
including paper and ink cartridges.

Imasdounian also has future plans to implement solar and steam energy to be more efficient
and reduce Danfield's carbon footprint.
Being green does come at a price. Imasdounian said it costs 15-20 percent more to purchase
EcoHides than those that have been tanned traditionally. However, he believes the reduced
impact on the environment outweighs the costs and hopes it will eventually become standard
practice in the industry.
As with other leathers, EcoHides come in a variety of grades and are currently available in eight
standard colors, which are dyed using natural colorants. Custom colors also can be created, he
said.
It can be used like any leather material and is breathable, easier to shape without pleats or
creases and has a higher flexibility of use than chemically treated hides. Plus, he said the green
hides are softer and feel better.
He admits the green hides may be slightly less durable and more sensitive to sunlight, but says
that theoretically and with proper care, they can last forever.
Imasdounian knows all about leather's lasting properties. He learned the trade from the ground
up at the side of his father, who had learned from his father, who started a leather tannery in
the 1880s in Adana, Turkey. Imasdounian, who immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon in the late
1970s, founded Danfield in 1981.
In addition to supplying manufacturers with leather, Danfield offers the hides directly to the
public and interior designers.

For more information, visit www.EcoHides.com.

Unlike conventional tanning techniques, EcoHides™ uses no minerals or metals during the tanning process, according to Danfield. Rather, it relies on materials derived from sustainable, farm-bred mimosa trees. The natural tree extract is used to produce the chemicals necessary for tanning without toxic heavy metals. EcoHides™ leather is breathable and shapes easily, the company said.

EcoHides™ are offered as in-stock or custom colors and finishes with short lead times.

The Web site is www.EcoHides.com.

About.com

Eco-Hides™ Are First Eco-Friendly Leather Products
Helping Save the Environment by Deterring Global Warming

Eco-Hides™ Are First Eco-Friendly Leather Products
Helping Save the Environment by Deterring Global Warming